CH 30.1

Hello y’all! This series, quite frankly, has one of my favorite cast of characters in danmei. So of course I must continue the tl so everyone can read it~

Seeing this is sci-fi settings with a lot of jargon, I’ll make sure to match the previous translator’s choice as well so it’s easier to continue!

Lastly, the cast is huge. I’ll make a list in every chapter for all the important characters involved. Credit to melon_bowl for the brilliant idea!

Character ListQiao Zhiya: Half-elf, half-dwarf MC.

Chu Rong: Marshal ML.

Ren Mo: Mecha master, currently making fully manually-piloted mechas.

Chu Huai: ML’s older brother, he’s in politics.

Chu Yan: ML’s younger brother, currently studying in intermediate college.

Zhuang Yu: A doctor in ML’s army.

A1: household robot in ML’s house.

After Chu Huai and Ren Mo came out of the study, they also took away Chu Yan who was pestering Qiao Zhiya1fun fact, MC’s name “乔治亚” can be the Chinese version for the Western name “Georgia”. However, in this case it’s “Qiao Zhiya” since the lingua franca of the setting is Chinese + the previous translator using it + his dad’s name having the surname “Qiao” as well. to make a giant sword for him now. Before leaving, Old Man Ren gave Qiao Zhiya a bunch of basic textbooks on mecha manufacturing, asking him to read it when he was free, and call him when he encountered something he didn’t understand. Chu Huai stared at Qiao Zhiya for a while, and finally left him a word before leaving:

“Talk to Chu Yan when you have time”

Talk to Chu Yan more?

Qiao Zhiya’s eyes fell on Chu Yan, who was struggling to leave, and his ears twitched— although the two brothers of the white-haired monster had completely different personalities, their auras were very pure, and their eyes were open and clear. They should be good people. Since eldest brother Chu asked him to chat with Chu Yan more, did he want Qiao Zhiya to be Chu Yan’s playmate?

After those three people left, Chu Rong still stayed in the study and did not come out. Qiao Zhiya didn’t know what he was doing there. He walked around the door twice with some hesitation, but finally did not go in because he’s afraid he would disturb the Marshal. In the end, he turned around and took A1 to the kitchen.

As the sky was getting dark, Chu Rong recovered from his contemplation. He glanced at the time, frowned, got up and walked outside.

“You’re done.” Qiao Zhiya, who was waiting outside the door, saw him coming out, and immediately greeted him. His eyes were full of care and flattery, “I cooked soup, fried steak and baked bread, let’s eat.”

As an underage brat, Chu Yan lived recklessly and rascally, but this one in front of him was always cautious and sensitive. He had never messed around like Chu Yan, even his occasional temper tantrum was moderate and careful. He never wasted his words, never made demands, and instead his secrets stemmed from his way of treating the people around him well.

——Just like a small animal that broke into other people’s territory and was careful not to be kicked out.

Chu Rong lowered his eyes and looked at him. He remembered what his elder brother said before he left, and vaguely realized something that he had neglected before. He stretched out his hand and lightly brushed his bangs, tried to soften his tone, and asked, “You… were waiting outside the door all this time?”

Qiao Zhiya’s ears moved, noticing the Marshal’s unusual gentle tone. He leaned his head slightly, and replied, “No, you came out as soon as I finished cooking.”

He was careful even when he was trying to please Chu Rong, as if he had already been rejected once. Once bitten, twice shy.

Suddenly, Chu Rong felt a little uncomfortable. Ancestor Chu has lived this way for so many years, but he has never met such… such a person who he didn’t know how to describe properly.

He suddenly remembered the rumors around himself. Was that the reason Qiao Zhiya acted like this?

When they started living together, didn’t the youth’s tone seem to be ever-so cautious? Didn’t the youth actively learn to do housework and secretly try to make money as soon as he moved in? All signs showed that the youth did not dare to ask for it. He was careful even when accepting what he asked for, and subconsciously prepared to be abandoned at any time.

Seeing that Chu Rong looked at the youth without speaking or responding, Qiao Zhiya began to feel uneasy again. The half-elf slightly retracted his head and asked, “Is there anything wrong?”

After Qiao Zhiya asked him that, he paused again. He then put his hands on the youth’s shoulders and led him towards the dining room. As he walked, he said, “Let A1 do the cooking. If you have something to do, you can come and call me directly. You don’t have to wait for me. Eat first. I have something to tell you after you eat.”

Qiao Zhiya’s body that had just relaxed immediately tensed up. He turned his head to look at the Marshal, and stammered, “S-say, what are you… going to talk about?”

“What are you afraid of?” Chu Rong wasn’t the type of man who could be gentle for a long period of time. His temper flared again. However, he noticed that Qiao Zhiya’s small body under his hand was getting stiffer, so he frowned and suppressed his temper. He patted the youth’s shoulder lightly to comfort him, explaining his situation in detail.

“I want to tell you some information about the so-called ‘Recluse’. After you go to school, you will meet more people. It is inevitable that others will ask about your background. You must have a concept of your made-up background. So you won’t say something wrong, causing others to look at you with suspicion in their eyes… Don’t be afraid, I will take care of you until the end. When I say I will support you, I truly mean it.” In the end, he added a tactful promise to appease Qiao Zhiya.

Qiao Zhiya, however, didn’t hear the promise clearly. He focused all his attention on the word “Recluse”. His heart beat wildly, and he subconsciously clenched his fist.

This means… is Chu Rong going to make an explanation of his origin? Does that mean that as long as he follows this arrangement, his actual identity from the black hole will be completely concealed?

What secrets he kept has already been confessed. As long as the problem of his origin was solved, he would no longer have to deceive the white-haired monster, and he would no longer have to be on guard against the other party.

He didn’t have to worry about being wiped out, he didn’t have to rack his brains to lie and hide things, and he didn’t have to do things in a sneaky way. He could finally enjoy a stable life… just like his life on the Magic Continent.

The burden on his heart was instantly lifted. He couldn’t help showing a smile, but his nose was sore. Afraid that he would cry out in embarrassment, he quickly pulled up his sleeves and wiped his face. As he took two steps forward, he said in a brisk tone, “Then let’s eat quickly, it’s already this late.”

The soldier’s eyesight and hearing were excellent. Chu Rong immediately noticed something wrong with Qiao Zhiya’s voice and behavior. He frowned, stretched out his arms, but pulled it back almost immediately. He turned around to look somewhere but the youth. He then laughed angrily, “Well, aren’t you promising? There’s no need to cry. Didn’t I promised that I’ll support you until the end, you–”

After his weakness was found out like this, Qiao Zhiya was reprimanded a few more times. The tears that had been suffocated came out directly. Seeing Chu Rong’s frowning but caring eyes, the youth’s heart trembled. He simply rushed over to hug him, buried his face in sturdy his chest, and no longer hid his tears. He whispered in-between sobs, “Thank you… I’m sorry, I will be obedient in the future, I’m sorry… thank you.”

Chu Rong choked back his unsaid lecture in his heart. He looked down at the youth’s little head buried in his chest, crying until his ears trembled. He listened to Qiao Zhiya’s vague thanks and apology. Another kind of soreness and irritability completely different from the past rose in his heart, his face was dark, but his hand was gently raised and placed on the youth’s small head. As he fumbled around, trying to comfort the crying young man, he tried his best to convey his lecture, “How grown up, you still cry like this…”

Qiao Zhiya shook his head, apologized again, and tried to hold back his sobbing, only to sob even harder.

“… Forget it,” Chu Rong’s other hand hanging by his side also raised up and wrapped it around the youth’s shoulders. With a gentle hold, Chu Rong hugged him. Despite his stinky face, he continued patting Qiao Zhiya clumsily.  He couldn’t hold back his frown, though.

As Qiao Zhiya was frightened all afternoon, he couldn’t stop his emotions from pouring out, like a dam when it broke. He continued to cry while hugging Chu Rong. Like a small, shriveled tree that had found an oasis, he stuck to Chu Rong’s body. He vented his bottled up emotions with tears, until his eyes swelled up, all sore with dried-up tears. In the end, the Marshal was keen to let his clothes wet from the youth’s tears.

The stern ancestor comforted Qiao Zhiya for a long time but it didn’t work. His lack of patience and tenderness went straight to the sky. After another attempt of comfort failed, he simply bent down and picked him up, sat on the sofa with a dark face, and let him stand between his legs. Ancestor Chu pinched Qiao Zhiya’s long ears with a frozen, emotionally-constipated face. He ordered, “Don’t cry.”

Qiao Zhiya opened his red eyes to look at him, sniffed, and threw himself into the older man’s arms again. He continued to sob despite his dried-up tears. His small body arched against the Marshal, and his action was full of attachment.

Chu Rong sighed, “Raising a child is hard… it’s beyond teaching him a little and providing for him…”

The words Chu Huai said before leaving flashed in Chu Rong’s mind. He put on a dark face for a long time, and finally stretched out his arms and pressed the youth who was arching into his arms to his chest. He rubbed the youth’s hair a little harder, coaxing him: “Cry it out now. You are not allowed to eat if you don’t finish crying today, and you are not allowed to cry like this in the future.”

After being hugged with a firm hold, Qiao Zhiya finally stopped moving. He laid in the Marshal’s arms with peace of mind, holding the clothes on his chest.

Ten minutes later, the sobs finally subsided. Ancestor Chu asked impatiently, “Are you done crying?”

Qiao Zhiya loosened his grip on the Marshal’s clothes, flopped onto the sofa, and slid down his body.

Chu Rong, who noticed the movement, looked down, and then smiled angrily: “You actually fell asleep crying, are you only five years old, really—”

After falling asleep, Qiao Zhiya was startled by his voice, and moved uneasily. He tightened his limbs and curled up in his arms, using a very familiar posture of self-protection.

Ancestor Chu stopped talking. He looked at Qiao Zhiya’s fluffy head for a long time, then stretched out his hand and gently pinched his ears, “Crying bald chicken…”

After speaking, he thought about something in a daze, and squinted his eyes. On the sofa, he stretched out his arms and lifted the youth up.

Raising kids isn’t that simple… he needs… communication…?

I’ll give Chu Rong A+ for effort I guess…?

Also, the original schedule is wed and sat, but I’ll upload a couple more chapters before following that schedule!

If you can, please support me by donating on my ko-fi~ For every 2 ko-fis, I’ll release an additional chapter ^^

1fun fact, MC’s name “乔治亚” can be the Chinese version for the Western name “Georgia”. However, in this case it’s “Qiao Zhiya” since the lingua franca of the setting is Chinese + the previous translator using it + his dad’s name having the surname “Qiao” as well.